Neal faces challenge of taking Ford’s role

With point guard T.J. Ford gone for the season after deciding to retire rather than risk further injuries that could endanger his long-term health, coach Gregg Popovich said the Spurs must make some changes in their offensive approach.

“We’re going to miss him, because he was becoming a significant part of what we were planning to do,” Popovich said. “He’d come a long way. The players really respected him. I respected him. We’ve got to shift gears and go a different direction.”

The most obvious change means shooting guard Gary Neal, who made the team last season as a 3-point specialist, will become starter Tony Parker’s primary backup at point guard.

Popovich said Neal will continue to get some time at shooting guard, as he did in Monday’s 112-97 victory over the Washington Wizards. He attempted only two 3-pointers in the game, making one.

Neal knows his primary focus must be learning to run the team from the point.

“It changes my whole role,” he said. “My position, the shots I was accustomed to getting, the way I have to play, all of it changes.

“The biggest thing is the mental approach changes. As much as I would love to be a 42 or 43 percent 3-point shooter, which is how I’ve been judged since I got here and how I judge myself, shooting 3-pointers at the point guard position is totally different. As far as I can tell, there’s only two guys in the league who shoot 40 percent from the point guard position, and that’s Chauncey Billups and Steve Nash.

“You just have to change your mentality and your understanding that your value to the team has changed. Once you accept that, I think the rest of it comes pretty routinely.”

While Ford officially remains on the Spurs’ roster, Popovich said he will begin learning other aspects of the basketball operations, beginning immediately.

“I think over time, he’s going to become someone who’s going to be able to coach and manage in this league, and have a career on the other side, so to speak,” Popovich said.

“He’s helping us now. He’s been a great mentor for people like (rookie point guard) Cory (Joseph). His personality, his humor has gained him respect with his teammates. He was at practice today, he’s going to come in and learn as much as he can, spend some time with (general manager) R.C. (Buford) and (assistant GM) Dennis (Lindsey) and (vice president of basketball operations) Danny (Ferry), spend some time with us on the coaching side. It will give him a really good look at what it’s all about.”

Phi Slamma Duncan: Team captain Tim Duncan needed only three points to pass former Trail Blazers and Rockets star Clyde “The Glide” Drexler and move into 25th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

He passed Drexler with 9:15 left in the first quarter when he ran down the rebound of a missed shot by Washington’s Trevor Booker near mid-court and dribbled all the way to the basket for a dunk that Drexler would have appreciated.

“That was my plan all along, to set that up and do that,” Duncan deadpanned. “It worked out perfectly.”

Duncan, who had three dunks in the first quarter, finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. His career point total stands at 22,207.